2004
PINOT ON THE RIVER - GUERNEVILLE, CA-Sunday, October
30, 2004. Report on the 1st annual Pinot
on the River tasting, held
at the Retreat Resort and
Spa in Guerneville. The event focused
on North American Pinot Noir, with an emphasis on those of the Russian
River Valley.

This
event was held over multiple days, and encompassed seminars, dinners
and comparative tastings, finally finishing with a large outdoor
tasting with wineries pouring at least one of their currently available
wines. As you might assume from below, many wineries elected to
pour only one wine, though others had brought 3-4 wines for sampling.
I only attended the tasting portion of this event, which was very
up-front and friendly, offering plenty of opportunity to talk with
the proprietors and winemakers first hand, and tasting about 50
wines.

The
tasting notes below give a brief description of the wine's attributes
and/or qualities. These wines were generally the current releases
for each winery, although some wineries were offering samples from
yet-to-be-released vintages.

Overall
impressions:
The
Retreat Resort provided a nice venue, though they could have had
a few more munchies about. But
overall,
there was an excellent lineup of Pinot producers, and it was a fabulous
tasting.

I've
tried Pinots from many of these producers in the past, and knew
what to expect. However, I found several surprises in the lineups
- all pleasant! Pinots from Davis Bynum, D'
Argenzio, Inman, and Morgan
were all very good. Others - notably from DuNah, Peay, Woodenhead,
Martinelli and Tandem were among the my
favorites.

Disappointments?
Well, actually none - although it would have been nice if had wineries
provided some greater depth by pouring a few of their additional
bottlings. Nonetheless, there were plenty of wines available, and
with this many producers, it might truly have been an excess of
wines to taste (though I can't believe I said that).

Selected
Tasting Notes

ACACIA

2002
Pinot Noir - St. Clair. Nice dark cherry nose. Very nice balance
and flavor profile with black cherry and a touch of cola through
the long finish.

A.P.
VIN

2003
Pinot Noir - Garys'. Lovely floral-scented black cherry, with
touches of cinnamon and herb. Lightly sweet on the palate, full
and chewy throughout, with a nice lingering finish.

DAVIS
BYNUM

1999
Pinot Noir - Moshin/Bynum. Lots of light and dark cherry aromas
in the nose. Very good balance and off-sweet flavors, nice long
finish.

2001
Pinot Noir - Three Vnyd. A bit sharp and high-toned in the nose,
the mouthfeel is nicely balanced, and flavors hold through the long
finish.

D'ARGENZIO

2001
Pinot Noir - Dutton. Big light and dark cherry nose, with just
a touch of earth. Chewy mouthfeel, big but elegantly balanced through
the long finish.

2002
Pinot Noir - Castelli. Not quite as large-framed as the Dutton,
with more strawberry rather than dark cherry fruit.

DELOACH

2002
Pinot Noir - Russian River. Nose of bing and dark cherry, floral
aromas, and a bit of earth. Slightly fat and round in the mouth,
good balance and finish.

2003
Pinot Noir - Russian River. Though similar in profile, this
is somewhat brighter and more balanced than the '02 version.

1999
Pinot Noir - Kastania. Meaty nose, but also seems a bit veggie,
with a distinct tomato scent. Decent body and flavor, but one can't
help picking up the aroma profile in the mouth.

LORING

2003
Pinot Noir - Clos Pepe. Nose of wild cherry with interesting
floral aromas. Full and chewy on the palate, long finish.

2003
Pinot Noir - Rosella's. Lots of strawberry and floral scents
in the nose. Rich mouthfeel, with a nice bite to the finish.

2003
Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi. Nose of wild berry with streaks of
meaty and smoky aromas. Seems a bit tart at first, then the blanket
of fruit fills the mouth, and hangs there through the long finish.
Beautiful balance.

LYNMAR

2001
Pinot Noir - Quail Hill. Nose of wild cherry and strawberry,
off-sweet fruit - maybe not the most complex of wines, but very
tasty nonetheless.

2002
Pinot Noir - Oregon - Pommard Clone. Very nice fruit, forest
floor, earthy and feral in the nose. Nice complexity on the palate
with plenty of fruit, though bracing acids and detectable oak that
hang on through the huge long finish.

2002
Pinot Noir - Palazzio. Nice fruity aromatics. Big and rich in
the mouth, with nice flavors, and very good balance. This blend
of vineyards might lack a little complexity, but really delivers
on the fruit.

2002
Pinot Noir - Garys'. Tasty, but seems surprisingly tamed in
both nose and palate. Somewhat sweet in mouthfeel, but not overly
so.